Don Mattingly Joins The Phillies – Will His Decades Of Experience Get Them Over The Top?

The former Yankees captain will join the Philadelphia Phillies bench as his lifelong pursuit of a World Series ring continues.

This week, the Phillies announced they have hired Don Mattingly to be the bench coach. His son, Preston, is the team’s general manager. 

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Mattingly’s most recent role was with the Blue Jays, where he served as bench coach for three seasons. In 2025, the Blue Jays reached the World Series for the first time since 1993. For Mattingly, it was his first World Series appearance after 40 years in baseball. 

Mattingly was a superstar first baseman for the Yankees from 1981 to 1995. He won the MVP in 1985 and made six All-Star teams. Despite his individual success, his tenure was marked by some of the worst seasons in Yankee history. By the end of his career, he had sustained numerous injuries.

Despite this, he was an important veteran leader to young guys like Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill and Derek Jeter. In his final season, he finally made his playoff debut. Donnie Baseball, as he was known, hit .417 with six RBIs in the ALDS vs. the Mariners. When Mattingly hit a home run, O’Neill said he could physically feel Yankee Stadium shaking.

Despite still having something left in the tank, the injuries added up, and Mattingly was forced to retire. Mattingly was brought back by the Yankees in 2004 as a hitting coach. After Joe Torre left the Yankees, Mattingly followed Torre to the Dodgers.

After Torre’s retirement in 2010, Mattingly became their new manager. He was let go after the 2015 season and hired by the Marlins that offseason. Mattingly got the Marlins to the playoffs in 2020, which was their first time since 2003. Mattingly won National League Manager of the Year for his efforts. He was released two seasons later. 

The Phillies have been consistently competitive but have been unable to get over the top. Could Mattingly’s experience help both sides go from “so close yet so far” to “champion”?